The present invention relates to a device and method for expanding an enclosure such as tissue to expose the operative field in a patient. Entering an operative field such as in connection with specialized back surgery on or in-between vertebrae of the spine and on spinal discs involves various meticulous surgical procedures which can be challenging even for experienced surgeons who specialize in this particular surgery. Minimally invasive techniques are preferred over traditional open surgical procedures which require extensive operating time and post-operative recovery time.
When employing such minimally invasive surgical techniques, one of the challenging requirements relates to safe retraction of patient tissue in the target area or operative field to provide sufficient space for implementation of these techniques. For example, nerve roots are plentiful in this operative field and extreme care must be exercised by the surgeon to avoid accidentally damaging or even severing any of these roots when retracting tissue in this operative field. An example of a tissue retractor which does not include improvements, advancements and advantages of the present invention is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,374,534 issued on May 20, 2008 to Dalton, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The present invention provides an improved retractor device which improves chances of avoiding undesired results and thereby greatly improves chances of achieving a successful patient outcome. Furthermore, the present invention provides greater control, precision, ease of use and may have utility in surgical procedures performed in operative fields other than those discussed herein. Other advantages and features will become apparent from the description of the invention.